Automobile door protector



June 16, 1931. L. F. WlNNE AUTOMOBILE DOOR PROTECTOR Filed July 24, 1929INVENTOR.

ATTO EY Patented d June 16, 1931 LANSING F. WINNIE, OF NYACK, NEW YORKAUTOMOBILE DOOR PROTECTOR I Application ind July 24,

This invention relates to means for rotecting automobile doors adjacentto the andles or knobs thereof from in ury, the object of the inventionbeing to provide a simple, inexpensive and practical device which may bereadily slipped over the handle of an automobile door to protect thehighly finished surface thereof adjacent to the handle from injury bythe scratching and marring thereof by the rings and keys of personsmanipulating the handle, and which device may be readily removed whendesired ,and which will adjust itself to various sizes of handlespindles and which in practice will not detract from the ornamentalappearance of the car.

It is a well known fact that in demonstrating cars for sale as well asin the subsequent use of such cars, the rings of the personsmanipulating the door handles frequently scratch and mar the highlyfinished appearance of the door and this makes it very diificult toeffect a sale of a new car which has been so scratched about thehandles. Not only this but the purchaser of the car frequently findsthat the highly finished door has been damaged by guests and others whomanipulate the handles by reason of rings worn on p the fingers.Furthermore, when the handles or handle knobs are provided with locks,as is usually the case, the owner frequently has the key upon a key ringand the swinging chain or other keys upon the ring frequently strike thedoor and mar the finish thereof, and therefore, the object of thepresent improvement is the provision of a simple, inexpensive protectorthat will readily fit the hubs or spindles of door handles and preventthe scratching or marring of the door around the handles and whichdevice may be left on or removed as desired.

In the drawings accompanying and formin a part of thisspecificationigure 1 illustrates portions of the adjacent side doors ofan automobile having this improved protector applied to each door;

Fig. 2 is a top view of the door handle with the protector in position;and

Fig. 3 is a view of the protector detached.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in theseveral views.

1929. Serial No. 380,494.

Before explaining in detail the present improvement and mode ofoperation thereof; I desire to have it understood that the invention isnot limited to the details of construction and arrangement of partswhich are 88 illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since theinvention is capable of otherembodiments, and that the phraseology whichI employ is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

In practice the protector may be made of any suitable material and shapeadapted for the purpose. In the present instance it is shown comprisinga soft pad preferably of disc form consisting of a felt body 2 havingstitched thereto a suitable ornamental finish 2 comprising a disc ofpatent leather or pantasote, the felt pad and the patent leatherpreferably being stitched around their marginal edges, as at 7. The padis provided 79 with a centrally located circular opening 4 approximatelythe size of the average door handle hub or spindle 3' carrying thehandle 3 which usually projects a greater distance at one side of itshub than at the other, and for the purpose of permitting the pad to bereadily slipped over this elongated handle and also for the purpose of.allowing the pad to snugly fit and conform to the various shapes andsizes of handle hubs or spindles, 80 the pad is provided with aplurality of radiating slots 5, 6, the slots 5 being of substantiallythe same length while the slot 6 is of greater length whereby the padmay be slipped over the elongated handle and whereby the fiexiblesegmental portions 5' between the slots will conform to the hub andsnugly fit the same at theinside of the handle. In the present instancethese slots present a cruciform appearance, although it will be under-cstood that any shape or arrangement of slots suitable for the purposemay be used. In the present instance the felt pad body and its cover arealso stitched together by a row of stitches 8 around the marginal edgesof the slots whereby the pad is strong, durable and eflicient. Y

This improved protector ma tached and detached as desire tached is inposition to snugly be readily atand when atfit around the 2 I I V. I1,810,51Q

door hub conforming to the various shapes and sizes thereof by reason ofthe flexible segmental ortions around the openin 4 and being oisuflicient size to overlap door 3 under the entire handle preventsinjury since by its use scratching and marring by finger rings or keyshanging from key rings is prevented. j r

The protector may also have a highly ornamental outer surface and a softinner surface so that the ornamental effect thereof can conform to thecharacter of the car. In fact the outer surface of the pad can bestriped or ornamented in any manner to conform to that of the car and inpractice the monogram of the user could be applied to the pad ratherthan to the door and thus be easily changed when the car is sold.

It is to be understood that b describing in detail herein any particularorm, structure or arrangement, it is not intended to-limit the inventionbeyond the terms of the several claims or the requirements of the priorart.

Having thus explained the nature of my.

said invention and described a way ofconstructing and using the same,although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which itmay be made, or all of the modes of its use, I claim:

1. A motor car door protector comprising a' felt pad and an ornamentalcover stitched together around the margins thereof and provided with acentrally located circular'opening, and slotted at intervalsto provideflexible a segmental portions adapted to conform to various sizes andshapes of door handle hubs.

2. A motor car door protector comprising a felt pad and an ornamentalcover stitched together'around the margins thereof and pro- 40 videdwith a centrally located circular opening, and slotted at intervals torovide flexible segmental portions adapte to conform to various sizesand shapes of door handle hubs, the cover being stitched around the a.margins of such segmental portions and one of said slots having greaterlength than the others.

Signed at Nyack, county of Rockland and State of New York. this 19th dayof July, 1929. c

LANSING F. W'INNE.

